By Monitor Correspondent –
Srinagar, Apr 3: Authorities in J&K have decided to identify sports coaches who are not qualified or are inexperienced and remove the same from any official positions they may be occupying in the sporting arena of the Union Territory.
Official sources told The Kashmir Monitor that Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council has received reports that many of the sporting associations and clubs functioning in J&K are being run by below par people whose claim to be “coaches” of the concerned games are hardly based on merit.
The council is also planning to train people as coaches to ensure professionalism and quality in the players is duly maintained.
In this regard, Divisional Sports officer, Nuzhat Ara, who is also incharge Joint Secretary, J&K Sports Council, has said in an official communique that “few self-styled elements are trying to derail the smooth conduct of sports activities for their own vested interests.”
Nuzhat said that she has issued strict orders that no unqualified coaches “shall be allowed to play with the career of children, besides requesting the parents to not pay any heed to the distractions enacted by such elements.”
“The department is going to conduct special camps and regular classes for all the interested players. Effective measures have been put in place and only qualified coaches from the respective disciplines shall be roped in for coaching and training,” she said.
In first such instance, Nuzhat added, the Taekwando players shall be groomed under the tutelage of professional coaches and trainers and classes for all age groups shall be conducted in Gindun Sports Complex, Rajbagh Srinagar.
“All the interested Players have been directed to register themselves in the office of Manger, Gindun Sports Complex, Rajbagh. These coaching classes are being held free of charge,” she said.
Speaking to The Kashmir Monitor, Nuzhat accepted that a mechanism is being put in place to weed out unqualified and unlicensed “coaches”.
“We are also thinking of setting up a platform where we train people to become coaches,” she said.
The J&K government has said that there are various sports activities and programmes in the pipeline.
Last month, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that highest ever budget envisaged for J-K aims to engage 15 lakhs boys and girls in sports activities and extend financial support to 25,000 youth under various schemes.
Meanwhile, to ensure employment for sportspersons of Jammu and Kashmir, the government is all set to launch a new sports policy with five more games.
The policy has necessitated after litigations which put a ban on employment through sports quota.
“The Jammu and Kashmir is going to have a full-fledge sports policy soon,” Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam recently said during a presser.
He assured that with the addition of five more games Jammu and Kashmir will launch the new sports policy soon.
